ויעמוד מלאך ה' במשעול הכרמים (במדבר כב כד). וכי לא היה יכול לילך אחריו לשדה, אלא כך מדתו של הקב"ה, מלך ב"ו משלח ספקלטור להרוג את האדם, הולך אחריו ימים רבים וזה שנתחייב מיתה אוכל ושותה, והספקלטור מהלך אחריו ממקום למקום, ולפני הקב"ה אינו כן, אלא הספקלטור במקומו, ומי שנתחייב מיתה בא צלו ברגלו, כדי שלא יהא מלאך נצטער לילך אחר בלעם אלא קדמו לדרך, שכך כתיב ועמוד מלאך ה' במשעול הכרמים וגו', א"ל הכרמים נמכרים בשועלים.
(Numb. 22:24:) THEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD STOOD IN A LANE BETWEEN THE VINEYARDS. Could he not have gone after him into the field?33Tanh., Numb. 7:8; Numb. R. 20:14. It is simply that this is the nature of the Holy One. When a king of flesh and blood sends an executioner34Lat.: speculator (“examiner”). to kill a particular person, he goes after him for many days, so that this person who has incurred the penalty of death <continues> eating and drinking, while the executioner goes after him from place to place. With the Holy One, however, it is not like that. Rather the executioner is in his place and whoever has incurred the penalty of death comes to him of his own accord. So that the angel would not be bothered with going after Balaam, he simply went ahead of him on the road, for it is so written (ibid.): THEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD STOOD IN A LANE BETWEEN THE VINEYARDS…. He said to him: Shall the vineyards (i.e., Israel) be sold among the foxes?35Cf. the parallel texts. Tanh., Numb. 7:8, has “to the foxes”; and Numb. R. 20:14 has “like foxes.”
2
גדר מזה וגדר מזה (שם). אין אתה יכול לשלוט בהם, שבידם לוחות כתובים [משני עבריהם] זה ומזה הם כתובים (שמות לב טו).
(Numb. 22:24, cont.:) WITH A WALL ON ONE SIDE AND A WALL ON THE OTHER SIDE. You cannot prevail against them, because in their hand (according to Exod. 32:15) are TABLETS WRITTEN [ON BOTH THEIR SIDES], ON THE ONE SIDE AND ON THE OTHER SIDE THEY ARE WRITTEN.
3
ותרא האתון את מלאך ה' ותלחץ וגו' ויוסף מלאך ה' עבור (במדבר שם כה כו). מה ראה לקדמו ג' פעמים, סימנים של אבות הראהו כאן, עמד לו בראשונה והיה ריוח מיכאן ומכאן, [שנאמר] ותט האתון מן הדרך (שם שם כג), בשניה לא יכלה לזוז אלא לצד אחד, בשלישית אין דרך לנטות ימין ושמאל, ומה היו הסימנין,
(Numb. 22:25–26:) WHEN THE SHE-ASS SAW THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, SHE WAS PRESSED <AGAINST THE WALL AND PRESSED BALAAM's FOOT AGAINST THE WALL; SO HE STRUCK IT AGAIN>. THEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD MOVED FORWARD AGAIN <AND STOOD IN A PLACE SO NARROW THAT THERE WAS NO ROOM TO TURN ASIDE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT>. What reason did he have to go ahead of him three times? He showed him here symbols of the < three> patriarchs. When he stood before him the first time, there was space on one side and on the other, [as stated] (in Numb. 22:23): SO THE SHE-ASS TURNED ASIDE FROM THE ROAD. On the second occasion she could only move to one side. On the third occasion (according to Numb. 22:26) THERE WAS NO ROOM TO TURN ASIDE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT. So what do the symbols mean?
4
אם אילו ביקש לקלל בניו של אברהם, היה מוצא בני ישמעאל ובני קטורה מיכאן ומיכאן, ביקש לקלל בניו של יצחק היה מוצא בניו של עשו לצד אחד ותלחץ אל הקיר, אלא בניו של יעקב לא מצא בהן פסולת ליגע בהן, לכך כתיב בשלישית במקום צר.
If he ever sought to curse the children of Abraham, he would find the children of Ishmael and the children of Keturah on one side and on the other.
<If> he sought to curse the children of Isaac, he would find the children of Esau on one side, and (according to Numb. 22:25) SHE WAS PRESSED AGAINST THE WALL.
In the case of the children of Jacob, however, he found among them no defect with which to touch them. It is therefore written about the third occasion (in vs. 26): IN A PLACE SO NARROW.
5
ותרא האתון אל מלאך ה' ותרבץ תחת בלעם וגו' ויך את האתון במקל (שם שם כז), על בזיון שביזתה אותו.
(Numb. 22:27:) WHEN THE SHE-ASS SAW THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, SHE LAY DOWN UNDER BALAAM. <SO BALAAM's ANGER WAS KINDLED,> AND HE STRUCK THE SHE-ASS WITH A STICK (MQL), because of the shame with which she had shamed him.36Both the noun and verb, translated here as SHAME, come from the root, BZH; but the interpretation may have been suggested by a word with a similar meaning, namely MQLH, which means “putting to shame.” This word could have implied the relation between shame and MQL as used in Numb. 22:27.
ויעמוד מלאך ה' במשעול הכרמים (במדבר כב כד). וכי לא היה יכול לילך אחריו לשדה, אלא כך מדתו של הקב"ה, מלך ב"ו משלח ספקלטור להרוג את האדם, הולך אחריו ימים רבים וזה שנתחייב מיתה אוכל ושותה, והספקלטור מהלך אחריו ממקום למקום, ולפני הקב"ה אינו כן, אלא הספקלטור במקומו, ומי שנתחייב מיתה בא צלו ברגלו, כדי שלא יהא מלאך נצטער לילך אחר בלעם אלא קדמו לדרך, שכך כתיב ועמוד מלאך ה' במשעול הכרמים וגו', א"ל הכרמים נמכרים בשועלים.
(Numb. 22:24:) THEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD STOOD IN A LANE BETWEEN THE VINEYARDS. Could he not have gone after him into the field?33Tanh., Numb. 7:8; Numb. R. 20:14. It is simply that this is the nature of the Holy One. When a king of flesh and blood sends an executioner34Lat.: speculator (“examiner”). to kill a particular person, he goes after him for many days, so that this person who has incurred the penalty of death <continues> eating and drinking, while the executioner goes after him from place to place. With the Holy One, however, it is not like that. Rather the executioner is in his place and whoever has incurred the penalty of death comes to him of his own accord. So that the angel would not be bothered with going after Balaam, he simply went ahead of him on the road, for it is so written (ibid.): THEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD STOOD IN A LANE BETWEEN THE VINEYARDS…. He said to him: Shall the vineyards (i.e., Israel) be sold among the foxes?35Cf. the parallel texts. Tanh., Numb. 7:8, has “to the foxes”; and Numb. R. 20:14 has “like foxes.”
גדר מזה וגדר מזה (שם). אין אתה יכול לשלוט בהם, שבידם לוחות כתובים [משני עבריהם] זה ומזה הם כתובים (שמות לב טו).
(Numb. 22:24, cont.:) WITH A WALL ON ONE SIDE AND A WALL ON THE OTHER SIDE. You cannot prevail against them, because in their hand (according to Exod. 32:15) are TABLETS WRITTEN [ON BOTH THEIR SIDES], ON THE ONE SIDE AND ON THE OTHER SIDE THEY ARE WRITTEN.
ותרא האתון את מלאך ה' ותלחץ וגו' ויוסף מלאך ה' עבור (במדבר שם כה כו). מה ראה לקדמו ג' פעמים, סימנים של אבות הראהו כאן, עמד לו בראשונה והיה ריוח מיכאן ומכאן, [שנאמר] ותט האתון מן הדרך (שם שם כג), בשניה לא יכלה לזוז אלא לצד אחד, בשלישית אין דרך לנטות ימין ושמאל, ומה היו הסימנין,
(Numb. 22:25–26:) WHEN THE SHE-ASS SAW THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, SHE WAS PRESSED <AGAINST THE WALL AND PRESSED BALAAM's FOOT AGAINST THE WALL; SO HE STRUCK IT AGAIN>. THEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD MOVED FORWARD AGAIN <AND STOOD IN A PLACE SO NARROW THAT THERE WAS NO ROOM TO TURN ASIDE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT>. What reason did he have to go ahead of him three times? He showed him here symbols of the < three> patriarchs. When he stood before him the first time, there was space on one side and on the other, [as stated] (in Numb. 22:23): SO THE SHE-ASS TURNED ASIDE FROM THE ROAD. On the second occasion she could only move to one side. On the third occasion (according to Numb. 22:26) THERE WAS NO ROOM TO TURN ASIDE TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT. So what do the symbols mean?
אם אילו ביקש לקלל בניו של אברהם, היה מוצא בני ישמעאל ובני קטורה מיכאן ומיכאן, ביקש לקלל בניו של יצחק היה מוצא בניו של עשו לצד אחד ותלחץ אל הקיר,
אלא בניו של יעקב לא מצא בהן פסולת ליגע בהן, לכך כתיב בשלישית במקום צר.
If he ever sought to curse the children of Abraham, he would find the children of Ishmael and the children of Keturah on one side and on the other.
<If> he sought to curse the children of Isaac, he would find the children of Esau on one side, and (according to Numb. 22:25) SHE WAS PRESSED AGAINST THE WALL.
In the case of the children of Jacob, however, he found among them no defect with which to touch them. It is therefore written about the third occasion (in vs. 26): IN A PLACE SO NARROW.
ותרא האתון אל מלאך ה' ותרבץ תחת בלעם וגו' ויך את האתון במקל (שם שם כז), על בזיון שביזתה אותו.
(Numb. 22:27:) WHEN THE SHE-ASS SAW THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, SHE LAY DOWN UNDER BALAAM. <SO BALAAM's ANGER WAS KINDLED,> AND HE STRUCK THE SHE-ASS WITH A STICK (MQL), because of the shame with which she had shamed him.36Both the noun and verb, translated here as SHAME, come from the root, BZH; but the interpretation may have been suggested by a word with a similar meaning, namely MQLH, which means “putting to shame.” This word could have implied the relation between shame and MQL as used in Numb. 22:27.